Rotating drum grain dryer



2 Sheets-Sheet l W. DAHLUND ROTATING DRUM GRAIN DRYER Oct. 22, 1968 Filed oct. 28, 196e INVENTOR alter Dahlund ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 22, 1968 W. DAHLUND ROTATING DRUM GRAIN DRYER Filed 001;. 28, 1966 ATTORNEY Woher Dohlund United States Patent O 3,406,465 ROTATING DRUM GRAIN DRYER Walter Dahluud, Kenmare, N. Dak. 58746 Filed Oct. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 590,333 Claims. (Cl. 134-129) Y ABSTRACT oF THE DIscLosURE The invention comprises a drying device having a pair of elongated drums mounted in reverse inclination to one another with means to rotate the drums. YThe device has a hopper mounted above the drums to feed commodities into one of the dr-urns at its -upper end, with lifting means in the drums to lift the commoditiesas the drums rotate to expose the commodities to the4 air and mix and dry the commodities with means at the lower end of the one drum to transfer the commodities to the upper end of the otherdrum.

This invention relates to drying apparatus, more particularly the invention relates to portable grain d rying apparatus.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel mobile grain drying apparatus, which heats the grain as well as tumbles the grain to expose it to the air for removing the moisture from the grain.

It isa further object of the invention to provide a novel grain drying apparatus which conveys the grain along rotating drums for drying the grain.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the mobile grain drying invention.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the mobile grain dry-l ing invention. j

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of the lifting cup structure. i

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view of the mobile grain drying invention.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged front elevational view of the grain dryingA invention, with the air conduit structure shown in'phantom lines.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6 6 of FIGURE 2, and illustrating the cups for lifting the grain into the U-shaped pipe. l

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged side-elevational view of the hopper of the grain drying invention.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the drums, taken along linevS-S of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 9 is-an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the drums and illustrating the cleats in the drum for lifting the grain when the drum is rotating.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a wheeled frame having a pair of reversely inclined rotating cylindrical drums, air conduit structure connecting the one ends of the drums together, the drums have cleats along their interiors which lift the grain while the drums are rotating to expose the grain to the air for drying. The drums are pivotally mounted at their one end so as to be raised and lowered to adjust the inclination of the drums. A U- shaped tube is mounted within the air conduit structure to carry the grain from the one drum to the other drum, and a fan having an adjustable air dellector is mounted in the air conduit to introduce air into the drums.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in FIG- URE 1, the mobile grain drying invention 20 is illustrated as having a frame 21 with a pair of wheels 22 and 22 to rotatably support the frame. A pair of drums 23 ice and 24 are mounted to the frame with an air conduit structure 25 adjacent the forward ends 23' and 24 of the drums.

The air conduit structure 25 is supported on the frame 21 by brace 25' and has a pair of spherically flanged annular mouths 27 and 28. The drums 23 and 24 have spherically shaped ends 23" and 24" at their forward ends 23 and 24' which surround the spherical mouths 27 and 28 of the air conduit structure in complementary relation.

The ldrums 23 and 24 each have an overhead frame 29 and '30. The overhead frame 29l is pivotally mounted to the upright supports 31 and 31 at pivot points 32. The overhead frame 30 is pivotally mounted to upright supports 33 and 33' at pivot points 34.

The drum 23 has a coaxial shaft 35 at one end and a coaxial shaft 36 at the other end, which shafts are fixed to posts 37 and '37 respectively. The posts` 37 and 37 are fixed to the drum 23 at the opposing outer ends of the drum. The drum 24 has a coaxial shaft 3sat one end and a coaxial shaft 39 at its other end, which shafts are fixed to posts 40 and 40' respectively. The posts 40 and 40 are fixed to the drum 24 a-t the opposingends of the drum.

The spherical mouths 27 and 28 of the air conduit structure each has a horizontal post 41 and 41 respectively, which extends across the mouths. The posts 41 and 41' are rotatably mounted at their outer ends to the mouths 27 and 28. The shafts 36- and 39 are rotatably mounted in the posts 41 and 41 to rotatably support one end of the drums 23 and 24 respectively, and the shafts 35 and 38 are rotatably mounted in the depending rods 42 and 42 of the overhead frames to thereby rotatably support the drums 23 and 24 about the longitudinal axis.

Drum 23 has a plurality of diagonal flanges 44 projecting diagonally inward from the interior of the drum. The llanges `or cleats 44 are located in annular rows 44' continuously row after r-ow from location 45, adjacent one end of the drum to location 46, adjacent the other end of the drum, in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 8, and generally illustrated in FIGURE 3. Similarly, drum 24 has a plurality of diagonal flanges 44 projecting diagonally inward vfrom the interior of the drum. The flanges or cleats 44 of drum 24 are also located in annular rows, continuously row after row from location 47, adjacent one end of the` drum, to location 48a, adjacent the other end of the drum, in the manner illustrated in FIG- URE 8, and generally illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Each of the drums 23 and 24 has a cylindrical inner liner 49, with the diagonal anges cut and folded from the inner liner.

A hopper 50 is mounted to the frame 21 between and above the drums 23 and 24. The hopper 50 is supported on the frame by diagonal braces 50 and has an auger 51 rotatably mounted at the bottom of the hopper to receive grain into the hopper, An electric motor 52 powers the auger. A sleeve 53 surrounds the portion 51 of the auger which projects from the hopper.

The sleeve 53 has an opening in its bottom outer end 54 which communicates with a pipe 55 and the pipe 55 extends downwardly and forwardly into the drum 23.

The drum 24 is rotated by a pair of endless link chains 56 and 57 which surround the drum 24. The drum has annular toothed surfaces lying in the path of the endless link chains to engage the chain in driving relation. The overhead frame 29 has a shaft 58 rotatably supported by the frame 29, by lugs 59 and 59 which project downward from the frame. A pair of toothed gears 60 and 60 are lixed coaxally to the shaft 58 and the edless chains 56 and 57 surround and engage the gears 60 and 60 in driving relation. An electric motor 61 is mounted to the frame 29 and its motor shaft is ribbed to engage and drive the motor rotaes the shaft 58 and the shaft 58 through the link chains rotates the drum 24 in a clockwise direction when viewed from FIGURE 3. y

Similarly, drum 23 is rotated by structure similar to that of drum 24. The drum 23 is rotated by a pair of endless chains 63 and 64 which surround the drum 23. The drum has an annular toothed surface lying in the path of the chains to engage the chains in driving relation. The overhead frame also has a shaft 65 similar to shaft 58 which is rotatably supported by a pair of lugs 65 and depending from the overhead frame 30. A pair of toothed gears 66 and 66 are lixed coaxially tothe shaft 65 and the endless chains 63 amd64 surround and engage the gears 66 and 66' in Vdriving relation. An electric motor 67 is mounted to frame 30, and its motor shaft is annularly `grooved and engages and drives a gear 68, which gear is also xed coaxially to shaft 65, whereby the motor 67 rotates the shaft 65, and shaft 65 rotates the chains 63 and 64, and the chains rotate the drum 23 in a clockwise direction when viewed from FIGURE 3. Drum 23 has a plurality of cups 69 fixed at intervals about the interior of the drum at the lower end 23' of the inclined drum. As the drum 23 rotates and the grain travels down the drum 23, the cups 69 pick up the grain as it reaches the lower end and the cups deposit the grain in the upper mouth 70 of an inclined U-shaped pipe 71, which pipe is mounted within the air conduit structure 25, and the mouth 70 projects into drum 23 directly in alignmen-t with the cups 69. Gravity causes the grain deposited in the mouth 70 of the pipe 71 to travel through the pipe and out the lower mouth 72 of the pipe, which lower mouth projects into drum 24 thereby transferring the grain from drum 23 to drum 24.

Each of the cups has an opening 69 at one end and side walls 87 and 88 and a bottom wall 89. i

The air conduit 25 is a box-like chamber having three openings, the two spherical mouths 27 and 28 along the back wall 72, which mouths communicate with the drums 23 and 24, and an opening 73 along side wall 74 with a motor and fan 7S mounted in the opening, which fan draws air into the conduit 25. An air deiiector plate 77 is pivotally mounted within the air chamber, having a handle 78 and adapted to pivot about the vertical axis 79, from position 80 to position 81. When the plate 77` is in position 80 it deiiects the air drawn into conduit 25 principally into drum 24. When the plate 77 is in position 81, the air drawn in by the fan, enters both drums 23 and 24. The air conduit has a bottom and top wall and front wall 82 with a rounded wall 83 opposite wall 74.

A heat lamp or other heating means may be placed or mounted inside the upper end 23" of the drum 23 to assist in drying the grain.

Operation The grain drying apparatus is operated as follows:

The grain to be dried is deposited in the hopper 50. The auger 51 feeds the grain down through pipe 55 into the upper end 23" of drum 23. The drum 23, powered by motor 67 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from FIGURE 3 and cleats r44 in drum 23 lift the grain and mix it and expose the grain to the air and thereby cause drying of the grain. Since drum 23 is inclined, the grain as the drum rotates gradually travels downward to the lower end 23' where the cups 69 pick up the grain and deposit the grain into the upper mouth 70 of pipe 71 and the grain travels down the pipe 71 and out the mouth 72 into the upper end 24 of the drum 24. The drum 24 powered by motor 61 rotates clockwise when viewed from FIG- URE 5, and the cleats 44 in drum 24 also lift the grain and mix it and expose it to the air thereby further drying the grain. Since drum 24 is inclined downwardly the grain if u 3,406,465.. i

The inclination of the drums 23 and 24 may be varied by threading the bolts 84-` and 84' upward or downward in depending rod portions 85 and 86 of overhead frames 30 and 129 respectively, thereby pivoting the overhead frames upward and downward and" thereby pivoting the drums 23 and 24 upward and downward about the axis of pivots 32 and 34 respectively. The changing of the angle of the drums 23 and 24 causes the grain deposited in the drum to -travel down the drums ata faster-or slower rate, thereby adjusting the drying rate of the grain.

`The air drawn in by motorfand fan 75 causes air to flow into the drums and also causes drying of the grain. Thus, it will be seen lthat a novel mobile grain drying apparatus has been provided, which will dry grain and other commodities and which may vbe adjusted to differ.

ent drying rates depending upon the amount of moisture present. l

It will be obvious that various changes and departures may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and accordingly it isnot intended that the invention be limited to that specifically described in the specification or illustrated in the drawings, but only as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A drying device comprising a pair .of elongated drums mounted in reverse inclination to one another with said drums being mounted side by side and in substantially horizontal planes, means to rotate the drums, a hopper mounted above the drums to feed commodities into one of the drums at its upper end, lifting means in the one drum to lift the commodities as the drum rotates to expose the commodities to the air to mix and to dry the commodities, means at the lower end of the one drum to transfer the commodities tothe upper end of the other drum, lifting means in said other drum to lift the commodities as the other drum rotates and exposes the commodities to the air for further drying.

2. A drying device according to claim 1 wherein said drums are pivotably mounted at one of their ends to adjust the inclination of the drums and thereby adjust the rate of travel of the grain through the drums and thereby adjust the drying rate.

3. A drying device according to claim 1 wherein air blown chamber means is mounted at one of the ends of the drums to blow air into the drums for further drying of the grain, and a deflection plate to deect the air into one of the drums. Y

4. A drying device according to claim 1 wherein said means to transfer the commodities includes a laterally extending conduit extending laterally between the lower end of the said one drum and the upper end of the other drum.

5. A drying device according to claim 4 wherein said means to transfer further includes lifting cup means in the lower end of the said one drum for lifting said commodities into said lateral conduit.

References Cited UNITED STATES vPATENTS Warren 34-142 X FREDERICK L. MATTESON, IR., Primary Examiner. A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner. 

